Nigerian Foreign Minister Urges West to Focus on Its Own Security Issues
15:18 13.08.2024 (Updated: 16:11 13.08.2024)
© Sputnik . Sergey Guneev
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Earlier, the US and UK issued warnings about the risks of staying in Nigeria amid anti-government protests and urged their citizens to refrain from traveling to the country for the time being.
In an interview with a Western media outlet, Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar emphasized that the West should concentrate on its own security issues.
"We have seen from events as they unfolded in the United Kingdom—we're also seeing in the US, with the shooting of a presidential candidate—that risk or danger exists everywhere. It's how you navigate it that is different," he was quoted as saying. "We're not saying that countries should not warn their citizens where they think there's danger, but it's too common. It's too rampant."
As he noted, such warnings can harm the economy by discouraging investment and creating panic.
In early July, Nigeria's largest labor unions decided to strike after failing to reach an agreement with the federal government on the minimum wage. The government later reached an agreement with the unions to raise the minimum wage to about $44, promising to review it every three years.
In late July, mass protests broke out in many cities in the UK after a 17-year-old boy attacked children with a knife in Southport. Three children were killed, and several more children and two adults were taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The protests escalated into clashes with police and riots after rumors that the attacker was a refugee. Local media later reported that the attacker was born to migrants from Rwanda. Hundreds of people were detained, and dozens of police officers were injured during the riots, which were organized by supporters of far-right groups.
An assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump occurred during his campaign speech in Pennsylvania on July 13. Trump was shot in the ear, one of the audience members died, and two others were injured. The US Secret Service previously reported that it had eliminated the suspect, who fired many shots towards the stage. The FBI is investigating the incident as an assassination attempt and possible domestic terrorism.
